WASHINGTON,D.C.- Indian-Americans celebrated the festival of Chhath on the banks of the historic Potomac River here as several women attired in colorful traditional saree worshiped the rising sun. The Chhath celebrations spread over three days in Virginia saw participation of some 250 Indian-Americans, many of whom drove a few hundred miles to attend this popular festival of Bihar. “We are just trying our best to keep...

our tradition alive, even though we are thousands of miles away from the place of our birth,” said Kripa Shankar Singh, who has been organising the event for the past eight years now. A software engineer, Singh comes from Patna. “Now people call me from all over the country and ask details about the Chhath pooja,” he said. This year, a few families even booked cottages on the banks of the Potomac River so that they can participate in the festivities on both the days. “I am overwhelmed by the response,” said Kumar Singh, an eminent Indian-American community leader in Greater Washington Metropolitan Area. “Unlike other festivals, which we celebrate on weekends, this is the only Indian festival we celebrate on the actual day. Still it attracts a large number of people, many of whom take leave from their work to come and attend Chhath pooja on the Potomac,” Singh said.